FDA Warns Against Untested Pet Antibiotics, Researchers Explore Life-Extending Drugs for Dogs, Cash Hound Gives New Meaning to ‘Money Laundering,’ and More!
Don’t Try This at Home: FDA Warns About Unapproved Pet Antibiotics
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently warned Chewy and eight other companies that they are violating federal law by making or selling unapproved antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs for animals. The brands – including Aqua-Mox, Aqua-Zithro, Doxycycline, and Fishbiotic - are mainly sold for so-called “minor species” like birds and fish. But the FDA cautioned that use of the unapproved products could potentially result in the rise of drug-resistant superbugs, affecting larger animals, including dogs and humans.
The FDA advises anyone using these products to dispose of them safely and to report any adverse human or animal reactions associated with these products to the FDA.
Consider this just another reminder to always consult a licensed veterinarian about your pet’s health issues. Tempting as it is to seek a quick fix online, the internet isn’t always your best friend’s friend.
Sources: reuters.com, usatoday.com
The founder and chief executive of Loyal, with her aging Rottweiler, Della. photo: Loyal
Delaying the Rainbow Bridge: Are Canine Life-Extending Drugs on the Horizon?
In other FDA news, a new life-extending drug for larger dogs is inching closer to approval. The SF-based biotech company, Loyal, hasn’t publicly identified the drug for proprietary reasons, but it says it’s already met one of the requirements for a fast-tracked authorization and hopes to receive conditional approval, which would allow it to begin marketing the drug by 2026.
But don’t get excited just yet. While a small study suggests Loyal’s drug might diminish metabolic changes associated with aging, the company has yet to demonstrate that it actually extends dogs’ lives. Meanwhile, a team of academic researchers with the Dog Aging Project has also begun a canine clinical trial of a different drug called rapamycin, which has been shown to lengthen the lives of lab mice.
In fact, canine longevity studies are receiving more attention across the board these days. Dogs are generally considered good models for the human aging process so any canine research may potentially have broader application. And, of course, many of us would pay good money to gain more years with our furry family members, a fact not lost on the pharmaceutical industry.
In the meantime, just remember to love the dog in front of you for whatever time you have together. That goes for your humans, too.
Sources: nytimes.com, wired.com
Cecil, who ate $4,000. photo: Carrie Law
Cash Hound: Dog Gives New Meaning to ‘Money Laundering’
Cecil was generally a very good boy – right up until he wasn’t. His Pittsburgh-area humans had brought home a big stack of cash before the holidays ($4,000 to be exact – don’t ask). And after years of impeccable behavior, Cecil decided this was the moment to finally break loose and chow down on some of that yummy, green stuff.
Catching him just as he finished his high-end snack, his frantic humans gathered whatever chewed bits they could find, but they soon realized they’d have to wait for the rest of the $4K to come out Cecil’s other end. Their bank assured them that if they could patch together complete serial numbers for the mangled bills, they could exchange them for fresh replacement notes.
Thus began days of collecting every bit of their pup’s poop and laboriously hand-washing it to retrieve scraps of cash. “There we are at the utility sink,” said owner Carrie Law, “washing this shitty money, and yelling, ‘Yay! Yes! We got one! It smelled so bad.’”
After all that money laundering, the couple wound up down just $450, not a bad loss considering how much was consumed. More important, Cecil suffered no ill effects and his humans aren’t holding a grudge. “He’s a very fancy fellow,” reports Carrie. “He just has very expensive taste.”
Source: pghcitypaper.com
Kassy and all of her pups pose for a family photo. photo: Potawatomi Zoo
Kassy to the Rescue: Golden Retriever Nurses Endangered Zoo Pups
Golden Retrievers are well known for their friendly, affectionate personalities. So Golden fans probably won’t be surprised to learn that a Golden named Kassy has spent the last several months caring for three endangered African Painted Dog puppies as a surrogate mom.
The pups’ own mother, Bleu, gave birth to a litter of eight puppies on September 28 at the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend, Indiana. But within hours, zoo staff realized she wasn’t caring for the pups the way she should and that neither she, nor the pups’ father Maurice, would be able to feed and raise the pups without help. Because it’s important for Painted Dog puppies to be raised in a canine social structure, experts recommended the zoo find a domestic dog to nurse the puppies rather than resort to bottle feeding.
African painted pups are learning pup skills at the zoo. photo: Potawatomi Zoo
Enter Kassy, who arrived at the zoo the next day accompanied by her own recent litter. She immediately accepted the tiny Painted Dog pups and began nursing them along with her own brood. Sadly, five of the original eight puppies weren’t strong enough to survive, despite the best efforts of zoo staff. But the three remaining pups are thriving, thanks to Kassy.
Also known as African Wild Dogs, fewer than 7,000 adult Painted Dogs remain in their natural habitat, where they typically live in large family groups led by a dominant male and female and use complex vocalizations to communicate with other pack members. To help the pups learn these natural behaviors, the zoo is currently building a home for the three young pups next to their family members with the hope that they can eventually be integrated into their own pack. If not, they’ll likely be moved to another accredited facility where they may someday raise pups of their own – with or without an assist from a willing Golden Retriever named Kassy.
Source: usatoday.com
Steve Greig has adopted dozens of disabled and elderly dogs, hoping to give them the happiest end-of-life experience possible. photo: @wolfgang2242
A Man with a Plan: Senior Pups Are His Passion
Denver resident Steve Greig started adopting senior dogs after his own beloved pup, Wolfgang, was hit by a car back in 2012. Struggling with grief, he decided to go to his local shelter and take home a dog that was likely going to be put down. He hoped it would give Wolfgang’s death purpose. “He died, but another dog got to live because of that,” Greig recalled.
Knowing that senior dogs are often the hardest to place, Grieg wound up adopting a Chihuahua named Eeyore, then the oldest dog at the shelter. Despite knee problems and a heart murmur, Eeyore and Greig had six good years together before Eeyore finally died at the age of 19.
But it didn’t take that long for Greig to be hooked. Just three months after adopting Eeyore, he was back at the shelter for another senior dog, which soon led to even more adoptions. Over the last decade, he’s opened his home to dozens of elderly and disabled pups, providing them with loving care in their twilight years.
Greig typically has nine dogs living with him at any given time, though he’s currently up to 11. His home is in an area of Denver zoned for pet exceptions, which allows him to have more than three dogs at a time. And it’s not just dogs. Greig’s large backyard is also home to a rescued 13-year-old pig named Bikini, four chickens, two rabbits, one duck, and a turkey.
Greig’s dogs are usually with him for an average of three years before they die, though he’ll sometimes take in hospice dogs, knowing that they don’t have nearly that long to live. An active Instagrammer, he hopes sharing his story will inspire others to adopt a senior or disabled dog.
“Once you adopt a senior, you fall in love with them,” he says. “Seeing them happy, even for a short period of time, it just makes me happy.”
Source: washingtonpost.com